


Roommate Wanted

by TheUnemployedPhilosopher



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, College AU, F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-18
Updated: 2014-02-24
Packaged: 2017-12-23 22:58:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/932080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheUnemployedPhilosopher/pseuds/TheUnemployedPhilosopher
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek looks for a new roommate after Isaac gets tired of his late night meals. Stiles' and Lydia's relationship is crumbling at the seams, Stiles has to accept the change in his life and also the increasing puppy love for his new roommate, a grumpy guy with awesome facial hair and a big secret.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. He Just Wanted Some Soup

The mettle pot made a loud clang as it hit the inside of the sink; Derek’s hands groped the air five seconds too late. He sighed in the intervening silence, today was not his day. Starting with the dripping faucet that woke him up at 5.30 in the morning, and now the thundering sounds that made his head pound harder than it did a few minutes ago. He ran a hand through his hair, causing it to stick up like he got electrocuted and lay in an unkempt way, which any other time might have been attractive if not for the scowl lingering on his face. 

The shuffling of bare feet caused him to turn around and meet a sleepy Isaac, moving numbly out of his room and rubbing his eyes. Derek grimaced at the glare he received from his roommate. 

“I just wanted some soup.” Derek said, hopefully it was a good enough excuse to appease Isaac's irritation. Apparently it wasn’t as the other man crossed his arms and waited for something better. 

“Um, I didn’t know you were asleep?” This didn’t seem to work either. 

“Derek” Isaac said with just a touch of a patronizing tone. “This is getting harder to deal with. Our hours are completely different and you’re, well to throw tact to the wind, loud.” 

Derek nodded in understanding, not to the “loud” comment but to everything else. Since they had different classes and Derek had a part time job, they had to tip toe around times where they were studying or sleeping. It just so happened that when Derek was getting home from work and was hungry, Isaac was sleeping soundly after a hard day of school activities. 

“So, what are you saying?” Derek tried to pat down his hair, realizing what he might have looked like. It didn’t do much good, in fact it only made his hair disagree with him even more and spike up in other ways. 

Isaac sighed, “I have a friend that I ran into yesterday, and he has the same schedule as mine and offered me a bed at his place. I think I’ll take him up on it.” 

Derek agreed that that was probably the best solution. Then the anxiety of finding another roommate started hitting him; how hard it was to find somebody with a similar schedule and of course, somebody that he liked. As polite as Derek can be to strangers there’d be hell to pay if he had to live with someone he didn’t like. 

But one if the biggest reasons for Derek’s concern was how hard it would be to keep the secret of him being a werewolf under wraps. Isaac was part of his pack, which was one of the reasons why they thought it would be a good idea to move in together. 

Derek would just have to start looking for a student with no sense of smell, sight or common sense. That should be easy enough. 

After classes the next day, Derek calls his sister to ask if she’s open for dinner. 

“I’m always open for food, especially a meal that my big brother pays for.” She answers. 

Derek rubs his temple, a habit he gets when talking to his sister. 

“Yeah, okay. Let’s go to the sub place by the theatre.” 

* * * 

Okay, he can do this, just one more. It wouldn’t take a lot, just reaching out his hand to the plate, a pathetically simple move. As his arm started moving up from his body, Stiles heard something from behind him. 

“Oh my gosh, Stiles Stilinski that’s the tenth cookie you’ve had!” 

His father walked into the room carrying a basket of freshly laundered clothes that Scott and Stiles brought over to wash. 

“It’s not my fault they’re delicious and just within my grasp” Stiles groaned as his hand finally met with the plate and was about to grab the cookie. Before he was able to though, Scott swept in and stole the object of desire, throwing it in his mouth with ease. 

“HEY”

“Ha! You’re getting too fat anyway” Scott said as he patted his friend’s stomach. 

“That was uncalled for” Stiles said as he moaned with discomfort. Eating a whole pizza and the batch of cookies probably wasn’t a good idea come to think of it. 

“You boys gonna do something other than eat? Like do school work?” 

“Dad, come on. We’re more mature than that. I mean, that would be really immature to come over, make you do our laundry, eat food and do nothing.” Stiles said.

“Yeah” Scott interjected. “America’s Next Top Model is on tonight.” He said as if that was a reasonable excuse. 

Mr. Stilinski looked over at the boys suspiciously. “First of all, very funny but that’s not all you’re going to do when you’re in my house on a school night. Second of all, not that I have anything against you boys enjoying fashion, but why are you watching a model show?” 

Stiles laughed bemusedly, “Oh dad, you’re so innocent sometimes.”

Scott entered the living room and searched the couch for the clicker. 

“The whole show is about a group of women who wear skimpy clothes and fight each other in a competition.” He yelled from the other room. 

Stiles’ dad nodded, “ah, now I see. Well, after that you boys are going to do- uh- _something_.” He grabbed the laundry basket to go get the second batch of clothes, leaving the two boys to watch their model show in peace. 

“Hey, how are you and Allison handling living together?” Stiles asked, taking the remote from his friend’s hand. Scott thought for a moment before answering confidently.

“We’re doing pretty well; honestly I thought it would be harder, I mean, I’ve heard a lot of horror stories about a couple of kids moving in together and they turn into the Bates from Psycho, but for some reason, we make it work.”

Stiles mockingly put a hand to his eyes, “that’s beautiful Scott, I mean really- OW” 

Scott sent a pillow flying at his friends head. 

“How’s the long-distance thing going with Lydia?” 

Stiles shrugged.

“It’s been okay, we haven’t been talking lately because of finals week; but other than the lack of communication, things are fine.” 

“Why did she go to Cambridge anyway?” Scott asked, incredulous for his friend. 

“Why not? She’s always wanted to go there, she got a scholarship to pay for it, and it’s in England. I’m not finding a lot of downsides here.” 

Scott could detect the bitterness in Stiles’ voice, and taking a cue from the ‘Boys Book of How to Deal with Emotions’ nudged his friend’s shoulder. 

“You don’t need her; we have plenty of fun together, right?” Scott laughed lightly. 

Stiles ignored his friend’s attempt to move on from the conversation. 

“It’s just that even before she left we haven’t been exactly clicking, something is gone, some sort of spark I guess. She’s just not interested, you know? She’s too wrapped up in her career and school to worry about a relationship. Which is fine, I mean, if that’s what she wants.”

Scott nodded. “So, are you two on the downhill or something?” 

“No! I don’t know, I don’t think so…why did she say something?” 

“What are you two talking about?” Mr. Stilinski asked as he entered the room again. He started to clear away the dishes from the coffee table when ANTM started playing from its commercial break. 

“WOAH DAD GET OUT OF THE WAY” Stiles yelled as he waved his father away. Mr. Stilinski fumbled over the table and gripped the plates to his chest as he fled to the other side of the couch and out of view. 

“Sorry Mr. Stilinski” Scott muttered, eyes still plastered to the screen. “We were uh- talking about college stuff, mostly Stiles’ inability to deal with it.” 

“Haha, very funny.” Stiles countered. 

“Well if you’re talking about the commute, you could always get a roommate.” 

“Dad please, I can barely deal with the people I meet in class, and that’s just polite chitchat. I don’t think anybody’s going to want to share an apartment with me.” 

“You never know until you try; just recently I saw an advertisement in the paper about a guy wanting somebody with a certain schedule to room with. Something about Tuesday through Friday, I can’t remember the rest but I kept the paper.” 

Stiles turned to face his father. The truth is, he did think about this possibility before but didn’t want to spend any energy working on that when he had a comfortable place to live at. 

“Father dearest, are you trying to push me out?” 

“Oh no, I wouldn’t dare think of the good things that would come of that. Like my friends coming over to watch the game or me not having to do your laundry or washing your dishes or listening to the constant complaining–“

“Okay, okay; before you start talking about your special bubble time in the tub hand me that paper.” 

Stiles’ father rolled his eyes and threw yesterday’s paper at him.


	2. Moving Into Each Other

“Scott told me you were going to get a roommate!” Lydia’s voice drifted from Stiles’ phone. 

“Why is that so weird? You’re the second person I told with a distinctly surprised tone.”

“No, uh, okay yes it is a bit strange. But I appreciate the fact you’re taking the college experience seriously. How are your grades going?”

Stiles groaned, audibly annoyed. This must have been the third phone call that ended up being all about college and school; as if that was the only thing they had in common.

“Do we have to talk about school? Couldn’t we, I don’t know, talking about something more interesting, like the weather?”

“Sure” Lydia sighed, detecting the sarcasm in his voice but choosing to move on from the inevitable argument. “um, what about Scott and Allison, how are they doing?”

“They’re living a Brady Bunch kind of life, full of ‘hey sweetie’s’ and golden-brown toast. Scott said that moving in together was a good idea but I still remain uncertain that time won’t destroy they’re silver lining lifestyle. Then again that could be my pessimistic attitude making its daily appearance… uh Lydia?”

“What? – oh - yeah sorry I just got distracted… hey how do you spell malignant? – oh never mind I just remembered.”

It was Stiles’ turn to sigh.

“Okay I can tell you’re distracted and need to work, I’ll call you tomorrow if I can.”

“Oh okay, Stiles. I’m sorry, it’s just I’ve got this paper and –“

“No, that’s okay, I understand. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Mmhm bye.”

“Bye.”

He kept telling himself that this was normal, that the anger he felt at how Lydia never wanted to talk, and how she was half-interested when they did, was normal. They used to have something, something that was comfortable for both of them and was nice; now it seemed like it was dying. What the worst part was that Stiles couldn’t figure out whose fault it was, he tried not to think about that though, it would be admitting that their old relationship was over and was replaced by something new and stagnant.

~ ~ ~

After the lunch date with his sister, Derek went back to his place. It wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be. Cora actually complimented him at one point, something about him being neat; it was more of an observation really. He told her about his search for a roommate and the ad he put in the paper, hoping that she could have told him about anybody that needed a place to stay, and they had to have a certain schedule that didn’t clash with Derek’s. She couldn’t think of anybody though and they parted ways with a promise to meet again soon. 

He wasn’t at his apartment for ten minutes before a knock at the door announced the arrival of two very loud visitors. Derek could hear their voices through the door; it wasn’t worth his while though because all he caught of the conversation was that the new taco place was “awesome”.

“Hi Derek!” Scott exclaimed with a bright smile as he opened the door; Stiles had his hands in his pockets and a look on his face of a shrewd business man. He decided beforehand with the help of Scott, that he would be as clever as possible to negotiate the rent with his roommate. He might have been inexperienced in negotiating anything, but he wasn’t going to let it show. 

That is until he caught sight of Derek. 

“This is the guy who wants a roommate?” Stiles said absently, pointing a disbelieving finger at him while throwing Scott a confused look. 

“Yeah, Derek this is Stiles, Stiles this is Derek.” Scott answered with a grin. Scott knew Derek from a class they both took together. 

“You need help finding people to live with you?” Stiles went on, as if this was the mystery of the century to find an extremely attractive man who needed a roommate. 

“Hello to you too.” Derek said rigidly; apparently this new guy hadn’t been taught the natural social graces by his parents. 

“There’s something fishy going on here, Scott. I mean look at the man!” Stiles turned his back towards Derek as if to shield his conversation with Scott. For the first time in a while, Derek was thankful for his wolf hearing as he caught every word clearly. “I’m guessing he’s a serial killer looking for his next victim in the form of a middle-class white college student.” Stiles mumbled as Scott rolled his eyes and hit his friend in the arm to get him to stop. 

Derek chuckled, “Only if you’re planning on having all-night parties that keep me up.” 

Stiles turned around slowly and bit his lip awkwardly. “Great, you have Superman hearing along with the body. I guess I’m not able to bring over little green crystals too, huh Clark?”

Derek looked confused, he had a little line that crept between his forehead which Stiles couldn’t help but smirk at. 

“Never mind; We’re going to have to have a Smallville marathon at some point.” He said, already confident that he wanted to live here. The shrewd businessman was completely gone as he walked past Derek and smelled a hint of lavender in his aftershave. 

“You’ll have to forgive him,” Scott said apologetically. “He’s a creative writing student.” 

Derek grinned as Scott followed after the now loose and exploring Stiles; he closed the door and watched as the two men looked out the large window onto the street below. 

“The view is really great at night when the businesses have their lights on. It looks like Paris in a way.” Derek offered. 

“How close is it to the nearest coffee shop?” Stiles asked, his tone was very serious as he recalled the early mornings he had to suffer through with no coffee pick-me-up. 

“About five minutes. There’s a good one just over there-” Derek pointed out of the window to a little brick building with a metal sign on it that read ‘Hashed Out’. 

“Where’s the bedroom?” Scott asked. 

“This way.” Derek said as he walked out of the living area and into a corner of the apartment with two doors facing each other. 

Stiles opened the door on his left and peered in. He saw a very neatly made room and assumed it was the one the new roommate was supposed to have. It had a beautiful painting of running wolves above the bed and a mahogany desk in the corner. The desk had a sketchbook and a small jar of pencils on it. 

Just as Stiles was about to comment on how nice the room smelled, Derek grabbed the doorknob and closed it quickly. 

“That’s my room.” He muttered. 

Stiles blushed but hid it well enough as the other room was opened and Scott exclaimed he never saw a room so clean. Stiles examined the dresser and then the bedside table. This room didn’t have a desk, instead leaving the corner empty for whatever the roommate wanted. 

“Well this is a great set up, right Stiles?” Scott said, nudging Stiles in the arm. 

“Yeah, it’s not bad Derek” Stiles said, resuming his previous air of hard-edged businessman. “But uh- I’m gonna have to consult with my- uh, associates…” 

Derek smiled bemusedly, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the dresser. His shirt rode up a little and revealed a sliver of golden skin that captured Stiles’ attention. It was impossible, Stiles thought, that such a small portion of skin couldn’t be as gorgeous as that; but it was. 

“Stiles” Scott called, waving his hand in front of Stiles’ face to get his attention back to the conversation. 

“Oh right,” he cleared his throat. “There are a lot of things to consider, Derek. A lot of things.” Stiles was obviously trying to think of something to critique but, he had to admit, the apartment was perfect. A nearby coffee shop, clean accommodations and a roommate that could be a Calvin Klein model; perfect. 

Derek could tell he liked the place, but played along. He enjoyed the way Stiles kept trying to be more professional than his Star Wars t-shirt and torn up jeans led to believe. 

“Well, why don’t I give you some time to think it over and you can call me when you decide you’re going to move in.” Derek replied smugly. Scott snickered as he watched his friend try to find a comeback but failed. 

“Thanks Derek, I think he’ll do that.” Scott finally said, pulling Stiles along with him as they were led back to the front room. Derek wrote his number on a napkin and handed it to Stiles. 

“Right, call, phone call.” Stiles said, staring at the lines of numbers for a few seconds too long. 

“Uh huh, when you’re ready.” 

“Great, I mean- that’s good because then I can call you when I need to uh, not need, when I should call you and we can talk about stuff that includes moving into each other. No! not into each other! Ha that’s not what I… shit.” Stiles stammered and shuffled awkwardly. 

“Ookay, I’m going to take him home before you change your mind about a new roommate.” Scott said as he waved to a chuckling Derek and opened the door for Stiles. 

-  
Scott was very optimistic about the apartment and he told Stiles so repeatedly. 

“When are you going to tell Lydia?” He asked as they walked past shops downtown. 

“What?”

“About the apartment?” 

“Oh,” Stiles’ mind completely forgot about his girlfriend for the whole afternoon, and now a large wave of guilt hit him full force. “I guess after I call Derek to confirm it. Or when she calls me, which probably won’t be until next year.” 

“I can’t wait! I love moving other people’s stuff.” Scott said happily, ignoring the sardonic comment about Lydia. 

Stiles glared at him. “You could try to lessen the good attitude you know.” 

“Derek’s cool, and he seems like he doesn’t mind your insanity so that’s a plus.” 

“He’s a little too… bumpy.” 

“What?”

“You know- moundy.” Stiles said with increasing frustration. 

“Do you mean ripped?” 

“Yeah. I can’t walk around an apartment in my Adventure Time boxers if he’s going to be… I don’t know, doing sit ups shirtless while solving cancer or something.” Stiles said nonchalantly. “It would be degrading.” 

“You need to work out your insecurities my friend.” 

“Does he draw?” Stiles asked abruptly after a few minutes of silence. 

“Who Derek? I don’t think so, he’s never talked about it anyway.” 

“Huh, weird.” 

Stiles wasn’t just excited to move into a new apartment, or being able to walk five minutes to the nearest coffee shop; this Derek had something beneath his hard lined and perfectly tanned exterior, and Stiles was determined to find out all his secrets.


	3. Sorry I Hit You With A Hoover

Stiles took a fifteen minute shower and grabbed his phone off the dresser to make sure he didn’t miss any calls. He spent longer than usual in preparing himself for the day ahead; putting gel in his hair, picking out a nice shirt and actually using deodorant. 

It was Saturday morning and he would be moving all of his stuff from his dad’s house to his new apartment with Derek. He already knew Allison and Scott were going to help out, with one came the other. He just needed to ask in his best ‘son of the year’ voice if his dad would help too. 

The smell of sizzling bacon led Stiles to believe his father was already up and in the kitchen. 

“Dad! That sure does smell delicious” Stiles grinned as he stole a piece off the plate. “Have I ever told you how great I think you are?” It was a direct approach, and maybe a little too direct.

“Relax, Stiles. I already parked the truck out front so you can fill it and I can help out by driving it to your new place.” His father said, flipping a piece of bacon into the pan filled with grease. “Besides, I want to meet your roommate. Scott said he was nice but I want to make sure.” 

Stiles chuckled awkwardly. “Why? I mean, he’s just the average roommate. Nothing to notice.” 

“You never know. I just recently watched one of those real life mystery shows on TV, and it was all about how a young man,” He took the time to pause and gesture to Stiles. “Such as yourself, was murdered because his roommate wanted his Xbox.” 

Stiles nodded in fake solemnity. “So you think Derek’s going to kill me because he’s not getting enough quality time on Skyrim?” His smile broke free and he clapped his father on the back reassuringly. “I think I’ll be okay, Dad. Something tells me Derek isn’t the type to have an Xbox. Or any game for that matter.” 

Stiles’ phone rang and he noticed Lydia’s name across the screen. He groaned audibly and shoved the phone back in his pocket. Mr. Stilinski watched and pursed his lips at his son.

“Trouble in paradise?” He asked in an accusatory tone. 

“In order for there to be trouble in paradise there needs to be a paradise.” 

“Uh oh, that doesn’t sound good.” His father mumbled. 

“It’s just that,” Stiles began, relieved that he was able to talk to somebody about this. “All she cares about is her future, and I don’t mind that, in fact I’ve encouraged her from the beginning. The problem is that I don’t think I’m in that future. At least she never talks about it.”

“Well, she is half way across the world, Stiles. Long distance relationships are difficult to deal with sometimes.”

Stiles knew that’s what he was going to say, that’s what the excuse always is after all. He knew relationships like that were tough, and he knew they needed to be worked at, but it felt like he was the one doing all the work. 

“Yeah, I know.” He answered after a pause. “I don’t want to talk to her right now though. Last time I did she had a lot of things preoccupying her mind. The last thing she needs to worry about is a boyfriend.” 

Mr. Stilinski shoved the last of the bacon onto the plate and reached for the egg carton in the fridge. 

The tone in his son’s voice worried him. Stiles didn’t have the best experience with relationships that needed commitment; it wasn’t his fault it, just a lack of experience altogether. 

These were the moments when he wished his son’s mother was still here to lend her tender advice; Mr. Stilinski felt useless when it came to talking through things with someone. 

“I think the point is to have someone there, even throughout the hectic times, and even if you’re worrying about them. Because what’s the purpose of a relationship if it’s not holding together through difficult times?” Mr. Stilinski remarked. He cracked an egg into the pan and watched as it sizzled around the edges in the grease of the bacon. 

He glanced up at his son who had a look of concentration on his face. 

“Do you want fried or scrambled?” 

Stiles looked dazed for a minute before shaking his head and replying, “uh, scrambled.” 

His father grabbed a spatula and stirred the egg into a mush. 

“I said scrambled not ‘tortured until eviscerated’.” Stiles said with a slight laugh. 

He’d never understand how his father could do so many things, including giving pretty awesome advice, yet still suck at making a scrambled egg. 

“You make them your way and I’ll make them my-” His father started but was interrupted by a knocking at the front door. “That’s probably Scott and Allison.”

Stiles jumped up from where he was leaning on the counter and went to open the door. 

“Hey Stiles!” Allison exclaimed as she bounded into the house. 

Scott smiled at his friend and followed in after her. Stiles wanted to roll his eyes at the way Scott kept touching her hair or placing an arm around her waist; even if they were perfect for each other, they didn’t have to show it all the time. 

“Ooh bacon…” Scott grabbed a piece and threw it into his mouth. 

“Excuse him, he was raised in a barn.” Allison laughed, hitting him softly on the arm as reprobation. 

Mr. Stilinski smiled, “that’s okay, I made plenty.” 

“Just don’t ask him to make you an egg, you might not recognize it by the time he’s done.” Stiles remarked as he shoved Scott away from the plate of bacon, taking a strip before Scott devoured them all. 

“Well, are you ready to move?” Allison asked. She smiled sweetly and looked genuinely enthusiastic about helping move boxes and lift things. 

“I don’t know, it’s an important spiritual experience and I’m just not sure it’s the right time. I might have to consult my pastor-” 

“He’s ready.” Mr. Stilinski interrupted, giving Stiles his signature: ‘don’t you ever get tired of being a little asshat’ look. 

\- - - 

After loading both Scott’s and Mr. Stilinski’s cars with boxes, and a few comments about how Stiles shouldn’t have this much stuff, they made their way to the new apartment. Stiles went with his dad to make sure he followed Scott’s car, since Scott had driven there a few days earlier. 

Stiles already called Derek to tell him they were moving his stuff over earlier, but he thought it best if he went up to the apartment first and let him know they were there. Stiles knocked on the door and Derek opened it almost immediately. 

He had a placid look on his face before seeing Stiles, then after a couple of seconds a small smile played at the corners of his mouth. 

“Hi” He said, still holding on to the doorknob. 

Stiles’ mind went blank all of a sudden. What was he doing there? Was he going to say something? What was it? He tried to focus on the simple questions and eventually realized what the whole purpose of the day was. 

“Hey, uh-” He began. 

“Do you need help with your things?” Derek asked, rolling up the sleeves of his grey sweater. 

Stiles nodded, “Sure, I mean, if you want to help. I don’t have that much stuff.” He added. 

The two men walked the short distance to the parking lot and back to the car. Allison, Scott and Stiles’ father were all talking around the truck but stopped when they noticed Stiles and Derek. 

Derek nodded to Scott, then Allison jumped up from her seat on the chassis of the the truck. 

“Hi! I’m Allison,” She greeted him. “Scott’s girlfriend.” 

Derek smiled back, they both seemed to like each other already. Stiles kept his eye on his father though, he was staying back to greet Derek until Allison was done. 

He couldn’t understand why he was nervous for them to meet, it was just his roommate and his father; they didn’t have to get along. For some reason the look on his dad’s face made his stomach feel queasy, did he already dislike Derek after just a few seconds?

Stiles maneuvered strategically between his father and Derek so that if it got awkward or embarrassing he could either hit his father or die right in front of them as a distraction. 

“Derek” his new roommate offered his hand to Stiles’ father. 

Mr. Stilinski shook it and then smiled, “I’m this one’s dad.” He gestured at his son. 

“Yeah, I can see the resemblance.” Derek smiled back. 

“Oh God, I hope not.” Stiles remarked. His father tried to slap him but Stiles stepped back before he could. 

“Alright, let’s get these boxes up to your place.” Mr. Stilinski said, picking up one of the boxes in the front. 

Derek went over and picked up one of the heaviest boxes, "this is not much stuff?" He asked surprised, glancing at Stiles. He grabbed a duffle bag and threw it on top of the box, carrying it with ease up the stairs to the apartment. 

“Huh” Mr. Stilinksi murmured. “Well at least you don’t have to do any heavy labor with him around.” He chuckled. 

\- - - 

An hour went by and finally all of Stiles’ things were stuffed either into his new room or scattered in the hallway. He probably wouldn’t have as many boxes if he knew the proper way of packing, a thought which came to him after seeing them lined up along his bed.

Scott stood there and looked at the boxes amazed. Stiles noticed and glared at him.

“Oh come on there aren’t that many boxes!” 

“The Amazon is crying right now because of you.” 

Allison and Mr. Stilinksi walked in. 

“That’s the last of it Stiles, I hope you’re pleased with our hard work here.” His father remarked, examining the room as he was talking. Stiles nodded. 

“Yep, you all have a fantastic talent for moving boxes.” 

“I thought I added grace to the moving experience.” Allison said, smiling smugly. Scott smiled back and walked over to give her a kiss.

“Of course you did, babe.” He said before pulling her in. 

Stiles rolled his eyes and and grimaced. 

“Okay, okay. Get out of my room before this little act escalates.” He said, shooing everybody out. 

The group said their goodbyes in the front room. Stiles’ father left with Scott and Allison, but not without telling his son for the fifth time to remember to ‘not leave the stove on if he left the apartment’. 

The door clicked closed; Derek shoved his hands into his pockets and glanced at Stiles. 

“They were nice.” 

“Yeah, now imagine that everyday. Not so difficult to understand why I wanted to move. Nice people are very smothering.” 

Derek chuckled. “And here I was thinking it was the coffee shop that sells chocolate chip doughnuts down the street.” 

“Well, that and I need to educate you on superhero lore. I brought Smallville and an extensive knowledge of fictional universes so prepare yourself for some days of real education.” 

\- - - 

Derek left Stiles to unpack in his room, thinking it was probably best to let him organize things himself. It wasn’t until a few minutes later that he started hearing aggravated murmurings from the room and decided to help. They spent the rest of the evening putting Stiles’ things away to the hum of his ipod’s music. 

After Stiles said he was going to bed, Derek took the opportunity to go out. 

A mauling was being covered up and he wanted to investigate it at night. He knew the authorities were behind the cover up he just didn’t know why. 

The victim was torn to pieces, and the crime scene held little to no evidence as to who committed the crime. Detectives knew it wasn’t premeditated by investigating the victim’s background. They didn’t have any enemies to speak of and led a happy, apple pie kind of life. 

The scene was a dark, damp area in Beacon Hill’s wood; an ideal place for somebody to leave a body and not have evidence be found. Derek tried his best but all he found was some old pieces of yarn and a beer bottle cap. Things which could be from wandering college students out on a thrill walk through the woods. 

He decided to return home after he smelled a nearby skunk; any and all scents from the killer after that creature was around would be completely masked. 

He would call Cora tomorrow and ask her to help out.

\- - - 

Stiles tried to sleep, but being in a new place and still having a 14 oz. latte in his system was not ideal for it. He tossed around in his bed before giving up and decided to clean up the place a little better. He was starting to feel like a responsible adult, and he reasoned that responsible adults clean.

He still hadn’t vacuumed his room, and depending on how loud Derek’s vacuum was he could do it without waking him up. He assumed he wasn’t a light sleeper because the noise from the street below was just enough to keep sensitive sleepers up. 

Stiles put on a cotton t-shirt and a pair of socks to be stealthy and crept into the kitchen. Derek had said before that he kept all cleaning stuff in a kitchen cabinet, and after a minute of looking, Stiles found a small fold up vacuum. 

He was pulling it open when he heard a click around the corner where the front door was. He stilled for a minute and panicked. He knew it wasn’t his roommate because it was past what he said was his bedtime. He heard another click. 

Stiles’ heart was pounding, but he thought that the element of surprise would be enough to scare off an intruder. He maneuvered the vacuum so that it was more of a club and waited to jump out at whoever it was. 

This person was quiet, Stiles thought they must not have been wearing shoes because he didn’t hear a sound. He saw just a sliver of a dark shape try to walk past the kitchen when he jumped at it and flung the vacuum. 

“OW” 

*THUMP*

“Derek?! What the hell are you doing?” 

Derek massaged where the vacuum hit his shoulder. It was enough of a surprise and of a hit that he was forced to the floor. He glared up at Stiles.

“I could ask you the same thing.” He gritted out.

“No I don’t think you could because I was just trying to clean for the first time in my life not sneak into my own apartment at 3.00 in the morning.” Stiles’ heart was still beating fast but more from confusion then fear. “Why do you have mud on your shoes?” He asked, just now noticing that Derek was wearing a heavy coat and boots. 

“I- I needed to help a friend. He had car trouble.” Derek improvised. He was starting to miss Isaac. “Why are you cleaning?” 

Stiles sighed releasing some of his previous anxiety. “I couldn’t sleep and my floor is a mess.” 

For the first time, Derek realized what the situation must have looked like and laughed; which came out as sharp puffs because his aching shoulder. 

Stiles smiled, “Sorry I hit you with a vacuum.” 

“That’s okay. I should’ve left a note telling you I was out.” 

“Yeah that would have been ideal. Do you need help getting up?” 

Derek shook his head and got up slowly. He moved his arm around to make sure it wasn’t disconnected. He’d have to be more careful about sneaking out with this guy living here. 

“I think I’m just going to grab an ice pack and head to bed” Derek murmured.

He took in Stiles appearance for the first time and hid a smirk as best he could. 

“Nice shorts.” He said as he passed on his way to his room. 

Stiles eyes widened when he realized he didn’t put on pants before he left his room, and his Adventure Time boxers were on bright display. 

He could feel his cheeks burn with a bright red blush.

“I knew it” he whispered to himself.


	4. I've Always Wished For A Dog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to publish, I've had it in my drafts just haven't had time to finish it. Hopefully it was worth the wait! Also I'm changing the rating to Teen instead of General just because of some implied stuff and a word used lightly later on. (and just in case I want to add kissing because you never know there may be a need.)

It was into living a week with Derek that Stiles realized he didn’t have to actually start cleaning anything other than his own room. The man would get anxious if anybody else would unload the dishwasher or dust the bookcases. Stiles assumed it was a control thing, and then assumed he had some weird kinks because he loved it when he watched Derek clean.

Derek would get very focused and even occasionally bite his lip when he didn’t notice Stiles watching. He was now acquainted with every little line that made it’s way to Derek’s face when he got an emotion. Stiles got pretty scared when he thought about how much time he had to have stared at the guy to know every line on his face; he vowed never to stare again.

But then the weekend came along, and with it was TV time. And that meant side-glance at Derek time.

Stiles was curled up in his corner of the couch watching a rerun of Gilmore Girls (which he would have denied till his dying day), and Derek was sitting on the other side, face glued to his computer screen.

“Are you still working on that paper?” Stiles asked, Derek popped his head up and gazed at Stiles above the rim of his glasses.

“It’s due on Monday.”

“What class is it for?” He tried to catch a glimpse of Derek’s screen by leaning over.

Derek pushed it away from his eyesight.

“Communications class.”

“Oh, that’s why you’re having such a problem.” Stiles noticed Derek’s confused stare and tried to explain “It’s not like you’re Mr. Talkative, Com Class would be difficult for you.” Stiles’ tone was matter-of-fact.

Derek sat there agape for a moment. “I know how to have a conversation, Stiles.” He said in his defense. “And besides, Com Class isn’t just about talking, there’s a strategy to it.” Derek returned to his typing.

Stiles shrugged, “All I’m saying is that it might benefit you to practice a little. Give the old chit-chat a try.”

“Do you mean for class or just in general?”

“Both.”

Derek sighed heavily and pushed his computer back from its perch on the coffee table. He had to entertain Stiles’ whims sometimes or he wouldn’t get any work done for the whole night. He leaned back into the couch and crossed his arms over his chest, staring at the TV.

“What do we talk about?” He mumbled into his arms.

Stiles could tell that he was pouting, but a little time away from his school would do him good. “I don’t know, be creative.”

Another sigh emanated from Derek.

“Ookay... there are a lot of girls on this show.”

“Wow, really? That’s all you got C-3PO?”

“Fine. Uh, who’s that?” Derek nodded towards the character Dean Forester who just walked on screen.

“Ah, Rory’s boyfriend, he’s a total-.”

“He’s hot.”

Stiles whipped his head around to make sure Derek really just said that. “Um- yeah, I guess he’s kind of… wait, hot in like the- ‘I want to be that guy’ kind of way or ‘I want to be with that guy’ kind of way.”

Derek looked back at Stiles. “I don’t know, you said to start a conversation and that’s how I started it. Now it’s your turn.”

Stiles’ mouth was open and he shut it with a snap. He would just have to figure out a way to get over what Derek just said, and quickly before it got awkward. He shrugged and was about to say something before his cellphone rang to the tune of Lydia’s ringtone.

He was saved by his girlfriend, which in any other time would have been a relief but right now he felt guilt almost instantly.

“Hey Lydia!” He chirped too cheerfully.

There was a pause on the other end.

“Stiles, are you okay?” Lydia sounded concerned.

“Of course,” Stiles cleared his throat loudly. “What’s up?”

“I just wanted to call to catch up on stuff, I was going through my phone yesterday and realized I hadn’t called you in over three days!”

That’s right, it had been three days since Stiles and Lydia last talked. It wasn’t a good talk either, Lydia was late for class and had to hang up as soon as they were getting into the conversation. After that, Stiles didn’t really want to put in the effort to call; school was keeping him on his toes and he would rather hang out with Scott then have a one way conversation with his girlfriend.

Stiles thought about telling her this wasn’t working out, that this half-hearted relationship was just them pulling strings but no motion. It was difficult to hear her voice over the phone and pluck up the courage to break up without being face-to-face.Stiles got an idea a few days ago and decided this would be his effort to save whatever they had.

“Yeah, that’s a long time not to talk.” Stiles said almost apologetically. He could feel Derek’s gaze on him as he talked; Stiles decided this was a conversation that was better had away from your roommate who you have a crush on and went to his room.

“I really meant to call it’s just-” Lydia started, already firing out excuses a couple of minutes into the call.

Stiles laughed a little, “It’s okay, Lydia. I get it, I have school too.”

“I know, it just seems that forces beyond our control have been trying to keep us from talking.”

“I think some people call that force college.” Stiles said dryly, it made Lydia chuckle and Stiles smiled at the sound he hadn’t heard for a long time. “Hey, so I was wondering if you would be open for a skype call, maybe on Sunday?”

“Sure! I actually have a whole three hours away from homework we can work with.”

“Great, because I have a ton of questions about my geography class assignment.” Stiles said jokingly. He could hear people on Lydia’s side, talking and laughing about something.

“Oh no, I’m not going to take a break from homework to talk about homework! You just figure out if India’s a country on your own.”

“Haha, jokes on you I already know that India’s a city.” Stiles retorted sarcastically. Lydia laughed again.

“I seriously hope you’re kidding. Hey I’ve got to go for now, text me the time you want to skype on Sunday okay?”

“Sure, I’ll see you then.” Stiles said, realizing that this would be the first time he would have seen his girlfriend in over three months.

This was good, a conversation with Lydia where she sounded relaxed and a skype date set up. Maybe Stiles was just missing his girlfriend so much that he was making up reasons to be unfaithful to her. Maybe Derek really wasn’t that attractive, that it was just Stiles’ mind thinking he was. Maybe things would get better and Stiles could walk around his apartment with Derek shirtless and not need to sit down for a while.

Guilt still festered at the back of his mind as he thought about all the times he practically forgot he had a girlfriend when he was with Derek. He decided to push that feeling back even farther and try his best to start afresh with Lydia.

\- - -

Sunday came and went, the skype call was a success in Stiles’ mind; it was longer than he expected it to be. Lydia seemed happy to be talking to him and she looked livelier than when Stiles saw her last. Yet still, Stiles didn’t feel content. In all honesty the call felt more like they were two friends talking to one another.

He wondered if telling Scott about his problem would do him any good and called Scott and Allison’s apartment to ask if it was okay to come over. Allison answered, she said it’d be great if Stiles came over because the only thing Scott did on his day off was play games.

The apartment wasn’t a long way away from Allison’s and Scott’s place; he didn’t have long to go and was able to reach the apartment to catch Scott plastered to his game. Allison welcomed him in warmly and offered him any and every liquid they had available.

Scott didn’t seem to notice the newcomer and practically jumped out of his skin when Stiles sat down next to him. Stiles miraculously saved his Pepsi from being spilled.

“What the hell Stiles!?” Scott exclaimed, eyes wide and Xbox controller dangling from his hand.

“I came in through the door like any other normal human being, it’s not my fault if you’re so into your game you don’t notice a polite visitor.”

Scott squinted irritably, “You can make a little more noise when you walk into somebody’s home. What are you doing here anyway?”

Stiles shook his head disbelievingly. "Wow I’m really feeling the love here, Scott.”

Allison walked into the room with a large bowl of chips. “I thought you might be hungry.” She set the bowl on the table and curled up on a chair beside the couch.

Scott lunged and grabbed a handful, already recovering from the scare his friend gave him.

“So how are you dealing with the roommate life, Stiles?” Allison piped up after watching Scott munch on his chips for a while.

“Fine; Derek’s not really one for warm and fuzzy moments, or any moments really. He’s able to clean really well though.”

Scott laughed, “so you have a pet?”

Stiles took a moment to think this over and grinned after realizing all of the similarities. It was like living with a well-groomed Siberian Husky; he didn’t talk much, but was trained enough to clean up after himself. It also explained the almost ritual nightly walks he took.

“Oh my God,” Stiles exclaimed. “I have a dog.”

Allison laughed and reached for her share of the chips. “He can’t be that distant, Stiles! I’m sure if you try chipping away at the wall he’s built up you’ll find someone you can connect with.”

 _yeah, but I don’t think he wants to connect the way I want to connect_.

Stiles thought, hoping that biting his lip would be enough to stall the blush on his cheeks.

“Has Isaac been around at all?” Scott asked. Stiles frowned; he knew Isaac was the other roommate and that he was friends with Derek but he didn’t know why he would be around now.

“Should he be?” Stiles said, and then almost immediately noted his own tone of irritation. “I mean, he has his own place now, there’s no reason for him to come over.” He grabbed a chip and started eating it nonchalantly.

“They’re friends though, so I thought you would have met him by now. He lives close by too, I’m surprised he hasn’t been over.” Scott shrugged. He wiped his hands on the sofa, forcing a silent gasp from Allison, and continued playing his game.

“He sounds like a jerk to me. Just because you can’t get your perfect night’s rest you’re going to move out on a guy depending on you to pay half the rent? That’s a douche-y decision if you ask me.”

Allison pursed her lips and got up to get a rag from the kitchen. She came back and wiped down the part of the couch her boyfriend left chip crumbs on, glaring at him like he betrayed her sacred trust.

Scott said, “You can’t blame him for wanting to sleep. They both had different school schedules; one was up while the other was asleep, one was trying to eat while the other was trying to sleep...”

“You’re going to die” Stiles said, pointing to the left part for the screen where an orc was sneaking up on Scott’s elven avatar. Scott leapt into action with a combination of attacks on the orc, leaving it battered on the war field.

Allison returned to her seat looking more relieved. “You should meet him anyway, it might make Derek warm up to you a bit if you meet his friends.”

Stiles nodded, suddenly aware of the importance of meeting Isaac. He assumed he wasn’t going to like him but that didn’t matter if Derek saw that he wanted to know his friends. During his visit, Stiles forgot what his original purpose was for coming over. They talked about Derek but it was Lydia that he needed to talk to Scott about, advice about their relationship and how he should deal with his waning passion for it.

Now that Stiles remembered, his resolve to discuss it was losing fast. He stayed for a little longer, advising Scott to move faster while in combat and to save as often as possible. Allison said she was going to go read in the other room and a while after that, Stiles said his goodbyes and left. His head was starting to hurt from the constant back-and-forth of his thoughts. Examining what he wanted from his relationship with Lydia and what he thought he would get from something with Derek. All he got from it was the realization that he was heart sick.

He couldn’t talk to Lydia about it because she would assume he wanted to break up with her, Stiles didn’t even know if that’s what he wanted or not. And what if this thing he had for Derek was just a thing? Could he give up an already established relationship for a chance with a guy he just met?


	5. I Dreamed A Little Dream

The dull, droning sounds of the teacher danced around Stiles’ head until he felt his eyelids grow heavy. He didn’t mean to start falling asleep in class, the need just crept up on him as he discovered his disinterest in chemistry.   
  
His first mistake was leaning his chin on his arm, and it was so comfortable he leaned a bit more; soon, Stiles was drooling on his desk half-asleep. His dream started out innocent enough, it was one of the usual ones he had where he opened up a new and successful sandwich shop. Then it took an unexpected turn with Derek making an appearance in nothing but a pair of skin tight jeans.    
  
Stiles could feel his mouth curve up into a smile. His arm started to tingle harshly as it fell asleep from being pinned down by his head. The dream was inconvenient, especially in the middle of class, but he wasn’t complaining. DreamDerek smiled back at Stiles, he looked strangely approachable and it threw Stiles off a bit. The light in his dream hit Derek in just the right places, making his body glow. Stiles walked towards him.   
  
But the dream took a wild turn when hair started sprouting out of Derek’s back and he cried out as fangs replaced his regular canines. The dream became dark fast, Stiles leapt out of the way of the transformed Derek, scrambling to escape his claws. Fog suddenly covered the ground and he couldn’t see anything in front of him, he felt something brush his arm and turned quickly but not quick enough. Then a sound on his left made him whip his head around, but there was nothing where he heard it.

Stiles stood very still so as to catch any sound that would betray DreamDerek’s location. He slowed his unsteady breathing down a bit and clenched his hands into fists, calming himself. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up; something was behind him. The warm, wet air of breath covered his ear as he heard a deep voice murmur.   
  
_Stiles._   
  
He snapped his eyes shut and gritted his teeth as that voice flew through him, dark and wanting. Another few seconds passed with nothing but the blackness of his vision before breath returned, this time on his other ear.   
  
_Wake up._   
  
This time the voice was sharp and commanding. Stiles flew open his eyes; not only in his dream but in real life also. He knew it wasn’t the voice that he heard before, it was a foreign element in his dream, something that invaded his thoughts.

Stiles looked around the classroom to find his classmates staring at him; some giggling under their sweatshirt sleeves, others glaring. Then he lead his gaze up to the man that was standing over him on his left.  
  
“I’m so glad you’ve decided to join us today, Stiles.” He drawled sarcastically. “I hope I didn’t take you away from something important. What is college for except to catch up on some... ” he took a step forward and stared Stiles down. “Z’s.”  A few more snickers escaped from some students around Stiles.

Stiles rolled his eyes and shifted in his chair, he felt achy all over for some reason. Wiping the stray drop of drool from his chin with as much dignity as he could muster, Stiles looked at the professor.   
  
“Sorry, professor. It’s just that your voice is so soothing, it could put to sleep a rabid elephant.” He smirked. It probably wasn’t the best thing to say to a pissed professor but Stiles was still shaken from his dream.

Although for some reason he wasn’t scared, not exactly. It was weird that he didn’t find his roommate turning into a supernatural creature scary, Stiles thought. Maybe it was because it started out so nicely with him that it softened the blow. Maybe it was because the voice he heard, the first one, reminded him so much of Derek that it relaxed Stiles. Either way, it was a dream that he wanted to analyse, and then hopefully recreate.   
  
During the rest of class, Stiles tried to avoid eye contact with anybody; he concentrated on taking notes of his dream. Recording everything he could remember, even if he didn’t know why he was so interested in it. He was never one to be curious about a strange dream, until now.

After passing by the still frigid professor while leaving class, Stiles ran into Scott texting on his phone outside. He had a break and usually waited to have lunch with Stiles after his class.   
  
“How was Professor Hale today?” Scott asked, taking his place beside his friend as they walked down the hall. Stiles’ brows knitted in confusion.   
  
“Who?”  
  
Scott sighed in frustration, “You’re chemistry professor. You’ve been taking his class for two weeks, how can you not know his name?”    
  
“Hale, any relation to-”   
  
“Yeah,” he responded, already guessing Stiles’ question. “He’s Derek’s uncle. A real hard nose to the grindstone.”   
  
Stiles nodded, “You’re telling me. Now I know the whole ‘cool and ruthless’ act is genetic.”   
  
He stopped at a water fountain to refill his bottle and Scott leaned against the wall.   
  
“Not much family resemblance though.” Stiles mused.   
  
Scott squinted as he tried to recall what Peter Hale looked like. “Yeah, maybe Peter is his half-uncle.”    
  
“Are they close? I’ve never heard Derek mention him.”    
  
“No” Scott shook his head. “I think something happened with Derek’s mother, and that created a rift in the family. To be honest nobody really knows, everything’s a rumour.”    
  
Stiles and Scott made their way to the school cafeteria where they threw their backpacks on a nearby table.   
  
“It just seems everything about the family is a mystery. I don’t even know Derek’s favourite meal, much less anything about his life.” Stiles said, eyeing the pizza place with a hungry look.   
  
“Do you need to? He’s just your roommate, it’s not like you’re going to know him for that long anyway.”   
  
Stiles frowned, the thought ate at him suddenly. Why would that bother him? He was trying to heal his relationship with Lydia and work harder on his studies. His roommate should be the last thing on his mind, and the last thing he dreamed about.   
  
“I’ll know him for as long as I’m in college, and that may be a while depending on professor Hale’s mercy… which I don’t think he has much of.”   
  
“Do you want pizza or chicken?” Scott asked. Stiles thought for a moment, pretending that he didn’t already have his mind set on his most eaten food.   
  
“Uh, let’s go for pizza today.”   
  
\- - -  
  
There was a time between Derek’s classes that left him a three hour window, which was plenty of time to visit the coroners office to examine the bodies of the victims. Or at least what was left of the bodies. It turned out that when they say mauling in a report, they mean it. Derek grimaced as he examined the victims.

Along the wounds left by the killer, there was a distinctive claw pattern. He automatically ruled out a werewolf attack because of the short, erratic pattern. While peering at the one of the cuts, he found remnants of what looked like thread or a soft material. It reminded Derek of the yarn he found at the crime scene. What could yellow yarn have to do with such a vicious attack?

He grabbed a small evidence bag and collected enough of the material to sample, then placed it deep within his jacket pocket so as not to lose it. Things were starting to get strange about this case; Derek thought about consulting his collection of supernatural mythology books to see if they had anything to offer.   
  
After a few more minutes of trying to detect something from the evidence at the coroner’s, Derek glanced at his phone and headed back to school. Without help, this case would be difficult if not impossible to solve. The werewolf would have to find someone else with knowledge about paranormal things to help, and it would have to be somebody he could trust.   
  
\- - -  

Stiles rubbed his jaw and yawned. It was 3 o’clock in the morning and he was still trying to figure out a ridiculously hard math problem. Giving up after attempting to keep his drooping eyelids open, Stiles shoved his math book on the floor and curled up on the couch. He pulled his hoodie over what body parts he could and snuggled into a pillow.   
  
Each time he was about to fall asleep, Stiles’ mind found it’s way to the dream he had in Professor Hale’s class. He didn’t mean it to but now that he had done it so often, it became a ritual. He thought of the blue, misty atmosphere when Derek appeared. Half-naked and smiling warmly at him. Then how the sky seemed to darken and the mist became fog, and Derek became a creature with fangs.

It was the voice that he wanted to hear again. He could still feel it vibrating through his bones; a dark but exciting sound. He hadn’t been able to recreate the dream yet, but still lingered over the details of the dream he could remember.   
  
His eyes closed, he parted his lips, and started to slip into unconsciousness.   
  
He was laying somewhere damp and cool, where grass pillowed his cheek and made him squirm. He winced as he felt the dampness of the ground seep into his clothes. Opening his eyes, Stiles saw a clouded evening sky with tall fir trees framing the glen he was in.   
  
It was all so quiet, nothing moved but the swaying of the trees in the subtle breeze. He lifted off the ground, and onto his knees. For some reason it was difficult for him to move; every motion felt like he was wading through water. He got to feet and took off the damp hoodie he was wearing. All he had underneath was a thin black shirt, but he didn’t feel the cold like he did on the ground.

Something moved among the trees. Stiles spun his head only to catch a flash of something golden run through the forest. The sound of this thing’s steps echoed off the trees and Stiles could tell it was getting closer. His breathing sped up and Stiles’ throat hurt from the amount of cool air he was inhaling. He grabbed at the cool grass and felt the ground underneath give way to his fingers.   
  
The steps were in front him now. Stiles knew this was the only way to get the upper hand; he crouched lower, about to spring. One more step, one more and then he would run at it. The leaves crunched under the creature’s foot and Stiles felt a momentary pang of fear as he released his hold on the ground and surged forward. The ground was slippery as he ran as fast as he could to where he thought it was, but the trees only looked like blurry lines as he passed them

The edge of the clearing was just ahead and he caught another glimpse of golden skin through the upcoming trees. Stiles leapt through the trees and head first into what he was chasing. The force wasn’t painful, but it was as if time was in slow motion as he felt his body collide into another warm body. They hit the ground with a dull thud. Stiles felt the cool grass beneath his hands again, a sharp contrast to the warmth below him.   
  
He could hear a rhythmic beating, the thing’s heart, he thought. He lifted his head slowly, his breathing was still fast but slowing down when he realized this person wasn’t moving to attack.

He gasped when he saw Derek’s eyes looking back at him. He stopped breathing altogether when the deep brown eyes glowed a fiery yellow and he felt a sharp pain in his side.   
  
“Stiles wake up!”   
  
_“Derek”_ Stiles mumbled sleepily.   
  
“Stiles!”   
  
_“Derek,”_ He said again, this time louder, still in the grasp of his dream. Stiles opened his eyes a little to see a piercing light and Derek’s concerned face. “Oh my god, Derek!” He flailed as he tried to cling onto the couch but it didn’t help. Stiles fell roughly to the floor between the coffee table and the sofa.   
  
“Are you okay?” Derek asked softly, walking around from where he was behind the couch to help his roommate up. “You were mumbling in your sleep and looked like you were having a nightmare.”   
  
Derek put out his hand to a still confused Stiles. He took it sheepishly and pulled himself up, Stiles felt a drop of sweat bead down the side of his face. Derek looked slightly scared as he watched Stiles, his brows were knitted and his mouth was tense. Stiles tried his best at a smile and patted Derek reassuringly on the shoulder; hoping it wouldn't be obvious that the pat was meant to steady himself.   
  
“I’m fine, it must’ve been a bad dream.” Stiles said, his voice cracking.

Derek looked unconvinced. “You don’t remember anything about it?”   
  
Stiles shook his head, “No” he answered. “Not a thing.”  

  



	6. Of All The Times To Walk In A Door...

The old books were stacked along the library table like Jenga pieces, making Stiles sneeze for the third time. He grimaced and mouthed a “sorry” to the annoyed looking girl at the nearby table. The next book he pulled out was titled: ‘Significant Dreams and How to Interpret Them’ and he let go of a tired sigh. The pages looked old and used, the words fading into the paper as if they were trying to hide from readers.   
  
Stiles wanted to figure out what was going on with his mind, preferably without having to tell anybody else about his dreams. Even Scott, who wouldn’t let go of the fact Stiles was dreaming of a half-naked Derek. The dreams themselves felt less like dreams and more like scenes from a previous life, where he was able to feel and touch things, yet they felt different to him somehow.   
  
It started to get addicting; curling up in bed, closing his eyes, and thinking back to his dreams to reimagine them into a new dream. It was like another life just out of grasp from him. The book didn’t tell him anything he didn’t already know until the end, where it mentioned that somebody could encourage intense dreams by drinking certain herbs.   
  
“I guess I’m going to the health store then.” Stiles mumbled under his breath.

  
  
\- - -

 

Stiles piled the bags of assorted teas he bought on the kitchen counter of the apartment. It was more tea than an elderly lady with a sore throat would drink, but he thought it better to be safe then sorry. He looked around the shelves for a jar that wasn’t in use.   
  
“What’s all that?” Derek’s voice drifted from the couch behind him.   
  
“Uh, just some tea.”   
  
Derek stared at the counter piled with tea and quirked an eyebrow. It was one of the movements that Stiles learned was curiosity mixed with disapproval.   
  
“My dad get’s nervous if I don’t have a fresh stock,” Stiles chuckled anxiously. “I’m an only child and he’s a health nut.”   
  
Derek placed his book on the coffee table with his glasses and got up. He went into the kitchen and opened a cupboard across from him, pulling out an empty glass jar and putting it by Stiles.

He was close enough that Stiles could smell the lavender scent Derek always had on him. He took in a deep breath and Derek watched him with a confused look.   
  
“Is that after-shave or lotion?” Stiles asked abruptly.   
  
Derek took a second to respond. “What?”   
  
“That smell, it’s like lavender.”   
  
Stiles’ cheeks started to feel warm; this was starting to get uncomfortable but there was no way out now. He tried not to stare at all the details he could see of Derek’s face, and clenched his jaw waiting for Derek’s inevitable cool response.   
  
“It’s shampoo actually.” He answered, not moving away yet.

Stiles nodded, “oh… nice.” He cleared his throat. Was Derek going to move away or was he going to have to try and squeeze past him?   
  
“I’m surprised you could smell that,” Derek said, his thoughtful look just intensified more.   
  
“Well,” Stiles smirked awkwardly. “To be fair, you’re like five inches away from me so...”   
  
Derek looked suddenly self aware and relaxed his face, taking a few steps back.   
  
“Sorry,” He said softly, clearing his throat and returning to his seat on the couch.

Stiles mentally kicked himself; of course he had to be so awkward that the one time Derek was so close he could smell his shampoo, he blew it. And Derek didn’t even notice the fact that they were breathing the same air; the Derek who cringed at the thought of hugs.   
  
Stiles tried to forget about what just happened, or else it would be the only thought in his mind the rest of the day. He stuffed the tea bags into the jar and let it sit in a corner of the counter.   
  
“By the way, Isaac is coming over today to hang out.” Derek said, not looking up from his book.   
  
Stiles paused, “You mean your old roommate?”  
  
“Mmhm.”   
  
“Oh,” Stiles leaned against the counter and unconsciously fiddled with an imperfection in the grain of the wood. “Good, I wanted to meet him anyway.”   
  
Derek looked at Stiles. “Really?”   
  
“Yeah” Stiles shrugged. “I bet he knows all your squeaky clean little secrets. We can have a nice long talk.”   
  
Derek glared at him. “On second thought, maybe you two should stay away from each other.”

“You can’t back out now, scaredy cat.” Stiles admonished lightly. “Once you introduce your ex-roommate to your new one it’s a whole new ball game.”   
  
Derek smirked, “you make it sound so daunting.”   
  
A shrug was his only answer as Stiles grabbed the paper bag that used to hold his tea bags and crumpled it into a manageable ball. He tossed it into the trash can and noticed Derek was still looking at him.     
  
“What?”   
  
“I uh, I called your dad yesterday.” Derek changed his view to his hands and avoided looking directly at his roommate.   
  
Stiles panicked for a minute while going through the possibilities of why Derek would call his father. Was it because Derek didn’t like Stiles anymore and needed advice on how to get rid of him? Or it could be that it was just one too many Gilmore Girls marathons. After the first time watching it with Derek and his comment on how hot Dean was, Stiles had to admit he watched it more often than usual  just to see if another comment would be brought up.

The minute of thinking things over felt long and stagnant and Derek looked up anxiously.   
  
“I’ve been worried about you.” He murmured. Stiles swallowed thickly and waited for the explanation. He knew Derek worried about a lot of stuff but to actually pick up a phone and call his father; it had to be something obviously concerning. “Each morning I find you on the couch still in the clothes you had on the day before, You look tired and worn out, you’re not eating like you used to-”  
  
“Which may actually be a good thing considering my unhealthy habits of pizza and stale chips.”  
  
“Ever since I woke you up that one time it’s like you’re- you’re trying to do something to yourself. Like you’re trying to get somewhere but you’re hurting yourself in the process.” Derek spoke quickly, knowing Stiles would feel uneasy about being watched over like he was dangerous to himself.   
  
“Look, I know I haven’t been Omega Man the past week but that’s a lousy reason to go on red alert and call my dad.” Stiles’ voiced wavered with growing irritation. It wasn’t Derek’s place to watch him all the time and dictate what was good for him or not. “I’m not killing myself by changing the my sleeping patterns, Derek.”  
  
Derek ran a hand through his hair, getting angrier than he thought he would. He knew Stiles was being ignorant about something that was screwing him up, he just didn’t know how to tell _him_ that. “I just don’t want you hurting yourself.”  
  
Stiles scoffed loudly, “Why do you care? Why does it matter how I’m going about my life as long as it’s mine?” His voice echoed in the apartment and came back to him sounding angry and hurt.

Derek felt his throat burn with the urge to yell at Stiles, he couldn’t take the way he was being so prideful about this. He didn't hold in his voice anymore, “Because you can’t fuck something up that’s important to other people too!”    
  
The sentence tore through the apartment and silenced everything. It left Derek with a fire but Stiles just felt cold all of a sudden; his hands clammy where he was clenching them. It wasn’t exactly an argument ending sentence; it didn’t cause Stiles to have a revelation or even be more at ease, but the way Derek said the words was so sincere it made Stiles’ chest feel caved in.

  
Derek was about to say something else, Stiles assumed an ‘I’m sorry’ by the way Derek was getting his breathing under control; when the two men heard an interrupting sound by the door.   
  
“Uh- This feels like a bad time…”   
  
Stiles looked over and saw a tall man wearing a scarf waiting in the open doorway. He was attractive and slender, with a leather messenger bag slung over his able shoulder and almost immediately Stiles was reminded of a Burberry model.    
  
“Oh, I thought you’d be later,” Derek said, getting up and walking over a little hesitantly. “Stiles, this is my old roommate, Isaac.”   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> agh sorry about a short (pretty angsty) chapter! I'll try to get the next one out as soon as I can c:


	7. Like Batman Needs Robin, I Need You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your patience guys, I had fun writing this one :3  
> Happy Valentine's day to everybody celebrating it!

For the first time that night, Stiles realized that it was raining outside. He was so preoccupied with watching Derek interact with Isaac and with what Derek had told him, he didn’t notice the steady patter of rain drops on the windows. He watched wistfully now, wishing he could just forget about his dreams, about Derek, about everything.   
  
“What about you, Stiles?” Isaac’s voice interrupted. He was looking at him expectantly, while Derek avoided his gaze all together.   
  
Stiles raised his brows in confusion. “Sorry, what?”

“How are you dealing with college stress?” Isaac repeated, a little more tentatively. His eyes squinted in the dim lighting to take in Stiles’ reactions.   
  
“I guess it’s been fine. We all have to grow a pair of wings and fly from the nest at some point, right?” Stiles noted a touch of unease in his tone and wondered if the other two men caught it. He assumed Derek would, judging by the tense and alerted position he was already in.   
  
Derek got up and cleared his throat softly, “I’m uh, going to start a pot of coffee, anybody want some?”   
  
“I’d like a cup, Derek.” Isaac responded, pulling off his scarf and curling it up with care beside his messenger bag.

Stiles shook his head in answer. He didn’t think he could talk to Derek without his voice betraying his emotions. He was still angry, but there was more to it than that; and he was scared to dig beneath the surface layer of anger and find that other emotion. It wasn’t like Derek even cared, he reminded himself repeatedly. He was just upset that he had a roommate who he thought was insane.    
  
“Sooo…” Isaac’s smooth voice cut into silence. “Now that Derek is gone we can talk more freely.” He said with a small smile.   
  
Stiles looked up at him uneasily. The rain pounding harder on the windows made everything seem ten times more ominous, leaving Stiles to panic over what they were going to talk about soon.

“It’s just that you seem so anxious, and I don’t think it’s because you’ve never had a house guest before. There’s something more, isn’t there?”   
  
Stiles huffed a humourless laugh. “Look, as much as I like to spill my feelings out to complete strangers, I’m not sure if it’s any of your business.” He said, smelling the first trace of fresh coffee coming from the kitchen.  It was a warm smell, and Stiles felt a little comforted by it.

Isaac nodded, Stiles assumed in understanding but it looked more like resolve.   
  
“I shouldn’t have been so forward, I-I’m still a little new at analysing moods…”  
  
Stiles frowned and was about to ask him a series of questions when it hit him. The scarf, the leather ‘just-beat-up-enough’ messenger bag, and the way Isaac was sitting in his chair just so, with his hands clasped together.   
  
“I’m a psychology major,” Isaac explained as he shifted a little more forward in his seat. “And with what little I already know about the subject, I can tell that you and Derek have something unresolved here.”

Stiles felt a sharp jolt of pain shoot up from his hand, and realized too late that he was gripping the arms to the chair he was in with boa like strength. He massaged his hand and looked at Isaac defensively.

“Nothing is going on between Derek and I, unresolved or not.” He snapped.   
  
“I’m sensing frustration, Stiles. Are you frustrated? It’s okay if you are.”   
  
“No! Well, I mean yes in a way-”

“Is it sexual frustration, Stiles?” Isaac delicately asked it, but the question made Stiles feel like he’d been hit in the gut with a baseball bat. “With Derek.” He added, as if to clear up any confusion.   
  
Stiles’ mouth hung open and his face felt warm. He gripped onto his hand in an effort to control his breathing. He could tell Isaac was waiting for an answer, but his voice wasn’t working and when he moved his mouth nothing but a hoarse whisper came out.   
  
As if in answer to a prayer, Derek walked back in with two cups of steaming mugs. Stiles sighed in relief and relaxed a little when Derek settled back into his chair after handing Isaac his cup.   
  
“There’s still some left if you want any.” He told Stiles, his face looked like the definition of concern as it stared at him with large eyes and parted mouth. Stiles couldn’t help but smile at his roommate.   
  
“Thanks, but… I think I’ll try to get some sleep tonight. Some _real_ sleep.” He didn’t expect it, but Stiles’ comment made Derek smile back and look relieved. He actually looked unguarded, and Stiles thought that maybe this Derek, the one that yelled back and brooded and then smiled at him, was his own. Maybe it was Stiles’ mind trying to make something out of nothing, but he couldn't help but wonder how much Derek really did care when he smiled at him like that.   
  
“This coffee is amazing!” Isaac exclaimed, breaking the silent apology between Stiles and Derek. He grinned like he had just found a treasure and took another lingering sip.   
  


\- - -

 

It wasn’t the best visit, but at least Stiles got the chance to show Derek he could play well with his friends. Even if his friend was a little blunt in conversation topics. He couldn’t blame Isaac for all of it though, not when he was still fuming from what Derek said before. He only hoped his attitude afterward proved that there was nothing he thought of Derek other than being a friend, even if it wasn’t true.   
  
Eventually, Isaac and Derek caught up on everything that went on between them since they last met. Which was mostly school subjects and professors they thought lacked elementary education. Stiles sat for most of it and watched the rain fall; he avoided any pointed staring at Derek so as not to give any more ammunition for Isaac’s analyses.   
  
“Thanks for having me over Derek!” Isaac said finally. Stiles just caught that he was getting up and wrapping his scarf around his neck. He must have been falling asleep because he didn’t remember the last part of the conversation.  

“No problem, anytime.” Derek smiled and clapped Isaac on the back. Stiles couldn’t help his smirk when he noticed Isaac’s surprise at the hearty, friendly gesture. The guest walked over and shook Stiles’ hand, he still had a look on his face that said he was analysing Stiles’ every motion, but it wasn’t as fierce as before.   
  
“It was good to meet you, Stiles.”   
  
“Likewise; maybe next time you could tell me about all the childhood trauma I’ve suppressed.” He joked.   
  
Isaac squinted his eyes and a smile pulled at the corners of his mouth when he replied, “Do I need to?”   
  
Derek showed him out and Stiles had just enough time to himself to take a deep breath and flop back into the chair. It was getting dark but Stiles guessed it wasn’t too late by how much traffic was still humming around outside on the streets. All he wanted to do was watch some crap television and go to sleep.  
  
“Well?” Derek asked as he walked back into the room. He ran a hand down his face in a motion of fatigue and sat across from Stiles. “What’d you think of him?”   
  
Stiles was taken back from his question. It wasn’t like Derek to ask anybody what they thought of… anything. He took his time to respond.   
  
“I liked him, he had spunk.”   
  
Derek chuckled at that, he was about to say something in response when his cell phone rang. Apparently it was something that was important enough to walk into the kitchen to talk about. Stiles frowned as he caught a few words Derek said when he left the room, ‘tests’ and ‘yarn’.

Stiles had to admit, some things about Derek’s behavior were suspicious even for him. His nightly walks were the most strange. One night when Stiles was working on getting into a dream state, he heard Derek enter the apartment at 3.00 in the morning; and then there was that time he scared Stiles and it resulted in an injury from a vacuum. Maybe Stiles wasn’t the only one in the apartment who had strange habits.

Derek walked back with a look on his face that spoke of a lingering thought that was bothering him. He chewed on his lip and stared at his open phone, obviously trying to think of what he was going to say. Stiles beat him to it.   
  
“Going out?” He asked. Derek looked at him and shrugged nonchalantly.   
  
“Yeah, that uh, friend I told you about is still having car issues and I- I have to pick him up again.” He supplied, shoving his phone in his pocket and grabbing his leather jacket from where he draped it over a chair. Stiles wasn’t satisfied with his story, probably because anybody who was hiding something always used the ‘I have a friend with car troubles’ story.   
  
He got up and pulled his hoodie from a nearby basket of clothes. “I’ll go with you. It's always better to have two competent men helping someone in need.” He pulled his hoodie on and realized it was inside out. To his annoyance Derek noticed too.   
  
“You uh… have that-”   
  
“I know!” Stiles struggled to pull it off and had to have Derek grab the back of it and pull it over his head. He put it on the right way and headed for the door.   
  
“I don’t think I need your help, Stiles.” Derek called after him, a mix of amusement and panic coloring his face.   
  
Stiles huffed in response. “Nonsense, I’m great at helping people with car trouble.” He cast a look back at Derek who was lingering in the doorway. “Unless there’s some reason you don’t want me to come with you?” He peered at him suspiciously.   
  
Derek shook his head, “Of course not.”

 

\- - -

  
It was a long car ride to wherever they were going. Stiles still wasn’t sure, but it was someplace in Beacon Hills medical district, near the hospital. He rubbed his window with the sleeve of his hoodie but realized it didn’t do any good if it was raining outside. Derek sighed.   
  
“Look Stiles, there’s something I have to tell you.”

Stiles licked his lips in suspense. He thought about the fact that he was in a car, alone, with his roommate who is keeping secrets from him. He looked around for any other cars on the road but didn’t see any. Derek looked over at Stiles in time to catch him looking around anxiously.   
  
“What are doing?” He asked, frowning.   
  
“Nothing, what’d you want to tell me?” Stiles sat still in his seat. If Derek did reveal to be a serial killer he’d never forgive his father for guessing it before him.   
  
“I um, I don’t have a friend who has car troubles.” He pulled the car into a parking lot that seemed to belong to a medical building a little ways off from the hospital. It was small and looked like a research center. “And I didn’t go to help him that night you hit me with a vacuum.”   
  
Stiles groaned, “I told you to forget that little incident.”  
  
“It’s a little hard to do that when I still have a bruise on my shoulder, it’s the size of a-”  
  
“OKAY okay what about all the midnight walks you go on? And don’t give me any ‘I like the fresh air of the night’ crap.”   
  
Derek looked out into the parking lot, his sharp eyes scanning the area. Silence encompassed the car. Derek sighed again and looked reluctant.

“Have you heard about the man who was mauled to death in the woods nearby?”  
  
Stiles shook his head, wondering why he never saw it on the news.   
  
“Because it’s being covered up. I’ve been investigating the case for the past few weeks, it seems like the sheriffs department hasn’t been working on it at all. That’s why I go out at night, and haven’t been telling you anything about it.”    
  
“Because my dad’s the sheriff and he wouldn’t cover up anything like that?” Stiles voice wavered in defense of his father.   
  
Derek nodded, “Yes, because of that, and frankly it wasn't any of your business.” He looked over at him with a pleading look. “I need you to keep this a secret, Stiles. I’m getting close to a clue that could be helpful and if any word of my investigation gets out to the authorities…” Derek left the end of his sentence hanging.   
  
Stiles thought this whole thing sounded a little too much like the start of a horror story, but he had to admit the explanation Derek gave him was a good one.   
  
“You know, my father’s the sheriff.” Stiles said, hinting at subtext.

“That’s why I need you to keep this a secret-”  
  
“No, you don’t understand, my _father_ is the _sheriff_.” Stiles said again, Derek frowned in confusion. Stiles sighed; for being a lone detective, Derek had some work to do on his deducing. “We have an inside man in the office... meaning my dad. If we let him know about the cover up he can help.” Stiles explained.   
  
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea to bring him in on something like this. He might not like the idea that there could be a corrupted man on his team.”   
  
“Trust me, my dad has probably already assumed his men are iffy at least once. Besides I don’t think you’re gonna get very far with you, yourself and uh-  you.” Stiles gestured at Derek.   
  
It took Derek a few minutes to think over but finally he consented. He explained that they were parked at the research lab for Beacon Hills hospital, where he currently had a friend analysing material found on the body. The friend called earlier and told Derek he found something important about the material and wanted to show him in person.   
  
The two men got out of the car and ran the short way to the lab in the rain. Stiles pulled his hood over his head and ran into the building without much damage from rain. When he pulled back his hood and waited for Derek to come in, he realized they must be the only people in the research center other than Derek’s friend. He heard the door open behind him and Derek’s wet footsteps walk over.

“This place looks kinda creepy, you sure this friend of yours isn’t a shapeshifting cricket or something?” He looked back at Derek who was drenched. His hair was matted and his shirt clung to his body like it shrunk two sizes, beads of water ran down his face and neck. The only thing that looked like it was dry was his jacket, which did little good when it wasn’t zipped up.     
  
Stiles’ mouth hung open.  
  
Derek rung out a corner of his shirt and let the water pool onto the floor. He noticed Stiles watching him and stopped mid-squeeze.   
  
“What?”

“You’re wet.” Stiles croaked. He winced as his voice left him so shakily.   
  
Derek glared at him. “Thanks, I had no idea.”   
  
“Why didn’t you run?” Stiles’ voice returned to its normal tone much to his relief.   
  
“In the rain?!” Derek looked at Stiles like he was crazy. “Do you know how many people hurt themselves because they slip on wet surfaces every year?”   
  
Stiles rolled his eyes and started walking down the clinical looking hallway. “I’m leaving your scaredy cat ass behind if you start talking statistics on me, Columbo.” He thought he heard a deep growl come from where Derek was and looked back quickly. “Did you hear that?” Stiles asked anxiously.   
  
Derek shrugged, “Hear what?”   
  
Stiles waited for another growl but nothing came in the dim silence of the lab. “Huh, I must have imagined it.”


	8. A Missing Friend, A Headache, And A Surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just did a quick read-through to check for error with this one, hopefully there aren't any obvious problems. Also I'm planning on making this a ten chapter fic so stick with it and you could see a Sterek kiss coming somewhere soon uwu (omg i'm so excited)

Maybe it was the atmosphere of a research clinic at night, or maybe it was Stiles’ own nervousness, but every little whisper of a sound caught him off guard. He stayed near Derek’s side but not close enough to be obvious. The whole ordeal sounded like a plot to a mid-day soap opera, he wouldn’t be surprised if this ‘friend’ was Derek’s evil twin. Keeping an eye on every darkened doorway they passed, Stiles took a deep breath and steeled himself forward.

Derek smirked when he felt Stiles reach for his arm whenever there was a rustle of rain on the lab ceiling. He perked up his hearing and a slight clanking came from a nearby room. It was the only one with any light coming from the doorway and when Stiles could see it, he looked back at Derek with unease. Derek nodded slightly and watched as Stiles peered into the room first. He looked at him, frowning.  
  
“Isn’t your friend supposed to be here?”  
  
Derek felt his heart beat faster. There wasn’t any reason for Dr. Deacon to leave; not unless something bad had happened. Derek brushed past Stiles and walked into the room with as much stealth as he could attempt with soaking wet clothes and heavy boots. The room felt deserted, lonely beakers and test tubes lined the counters. Derek sniffed the air; Deacon was there not too long ago, his scent was still strong. He turned back at Stiles to find him looking into a glass beaker that held a dark crimson liquid.  
  
“ _Stiles!”_ Derek whispered hoarsely and made his roommate jump, looking at him wide-eyed. “Stay here, I’m going to check out the back room.” He pointed to the dark area in the back, where there was an outline to another doorway. Stiles shook his head fiercely.  
  
“No way! It’s only when the beefy guy leaves that the comedic-relief gets a chain-saw trim to the face.” Stiles shuffled over to Derek while sending shifty glances over his shoulder. Derek could smell Stiles’ fear coming off in waves; but the determination in his eyes was stronger than he ever saw it before.  
  
“Just stay close,” He murmured; partly because of his Stiles’ safety and partly because he liked to feel that he was beside him, it was strange but he felt more secure.  

The nearer they got to the darkly lit doorway, the harder it was to hear anything over the combination of the two men’s thumping heartbeats and Stiles’ labored breathing. Derek held out a hand to stop Stiles at the entrance; as he walked inside he rolled his eyes when he realized Stiles was still following despite Derek’s silent command.  
  
“Can you see anything?” Stiles whispered to the man in front of him.  
  
“No” Derek lied. His eyesight was as clear as if he was wearing night-vision goggles,but he reached for the switch on a nearby lamp for Stiles’ sake.

The room was cast in an eerie, warm glow from the desk lamp. The room was obviously meant to be an office space alone from the research lab. A single bookcase was set up on the farthest wall, and was filled with large books with subjects ranging from general sciences to specific plant properties in various countries.  
  
Stiles walked over and ran a finger along some of the book spines. He pulled one out, blowing away a settling of dust on the top, and scanned his eyes over the pages. Derek went over to the desk and rummaged through the drawers. Most were empty, having just random papers scattered in them. At the very bottom drawer, Derek noticed a lock keeping it closed. He quickly brushed over the things of the desk looking for any kind of key he might have missed.  
  
“Hey, Derek,” Stiles muttered, most of his attention still on the book in his hands. Derek looked over anxiously. “What’s this?” Stiles pulled out a small silver key on a chain necklace from the inside of the book.  
  
Derek walked over and grabbed the key from where it dangled in his hand. He looked from the key, to the book and then at Stiles. “How did you know it was in the book?”  
  
Stiles shook his head slowly, “I think I dreamed about it.”      
  
A loud clanging broke the silence of the lab. Derek perked up as Stiles jumped and dropped the book with a thud on the floor. Thinking quickly, Derek shoved the key back to Stiles.  
  
“Unlock the bottom drawer in the desk and take everything you can find. I’m going to see what that was.” He knew what Stiles was going to say before it left his mouth, and left quickly before it could.  
  
“ _DEREK!!”_ Stiles whispered fiercely at him but it was too late. He looked at the delicately forged key in his hands, and grimaced as he held it tighter and went over to the locked drawer.  
  
Once it was opened easily with the key, Stiles understood why it was locked. Folders were shoved into the side of the drawer, filled to the brim with what looked like notes. A small black box took up most of the room inside and kept the folders in place. Stiles pulled it out and placed it carefully on the desk, he slowly opened the lid and peeked inside.  
  
The contents were surprising things to find in a research lab; a .44 caliber pistol with ammo was the most prominent thing, which Stiles pulled out with a shaky hand and put on the desk. Underneath was a large box of matches, a bottle of high proof whisky and what looked like a bag of white sand.  
  
Stiles heard a loud growl and commotion from outside in the hallway. He dropped the bag of sand-like substance and froze in the preceding silence. His heart felt like it was going to tear apart his ribcage as it thudded against his chest. He heard someone running toward the office and grabbed the gun from the desk, aiming at the doorway. Hoping to just scare if need be than anything else.  
  
He nearly dropped the gun when he saw Derek run into the room then stop abruptly when he noticed the gun. He looked surprised but composed himself quickly.  
  
“We have to go,” He said breathlessly. “We’re not alone here.”  
  
Stiles’ mouth dropped. He put the gun on the desk and grabbed the folders in the drawer. Clutching them to his chest with clammy hands, Stiles followed Derek out of the research lab.

 

\- - -

 

Back at the apartment, Derek was restless. He paced back and forth while Stiles looked over the notes he took from the lab. After a half-hour, Derek ran a hand through his hair and went over to the coffee table Stiles was using to spread out the notes.  
  
“Did you find anything about Deacon’s disappearance?” His voice was low even though they were alone in the apartment.

Stiles looked up at him and shook his head sadly. “No, I did find things that shouldn’t be in a medical research lab.”

“Like what?” Derek sat down on the couch and watched Stiles.

Stiles pulled out one of the papers from the piles of notes on the table and waved it at Derek. “Like this; have you heard anything about a Jikininki before?”  
  
Derek grabbed the paper with a rough sketch of a creature under a portion of writing. He scanned it and stared back at Stiles who in turn shrugged.  
  
“Apparently it’s a half-man cannibal creature, from Japanese legend.” He took another paper off the table and squinted at it. “They- ‘scavenge the corpses of humans, and have a craving for human flesh.’ According to this note.”

Derek looked up at him with unease, “ _T_ _his_ was what I saw in the lab?”

“Yeah, I haven’t seen anything in Deacon’s notes that says they growl though, and that’s bugging me.”

Derek huffed a humorless laugh. “You just found out that a supernatural creature was about to kill us

Tonight and _that’s_ bugging you?”

“I’m surprisingly okay with the whole thing actually.” Stiles said lightly. Even though he was thinking about how he was so scared in the research clinic, but he handled it pretty well considering what they were doing. Maybe it was because of his dreams, or the fact he spent so much time learning about supernatural mental states that he was tempered for it now.

He was tired, and his head ached with a dull pain in his temple. It was nearing 3.00 in the morning and Stiles thought that if he could get some sleep now, he might be able to stay awake in class tomorrow.

“First thing tomorrow, I’m going to go search for Deacon.” Derek said grimly. His shoulders were set tensely and Stiles could tell he was angry with himself, even if it wasn’t his fault.  
  
“Derek,” The word came out strained, like Stiles knew what he wanted to say but also knew he couldn’t convince the man in front of him of it. Derek looked up from where he was staring at the rug, his jaw set strongly. “It wasn’t your fault. How could you know that it was a cannibalistic monster-human anyway?”

Derek sighed, “I should have been quicker getting there, or told him to not stay at the clinic.” He paused and continued with angry resignation. “I shouldn’t have even brought him into this at all; and now I brought you in too and put you in danger.”  
  
Even though Stiles’ head was aching and his eyes stung from lack of sleep, he couldn’t help but feel a sinking feeling in his chest for Derek. There was nothing he could tell him that would make him feel any better.

“I’m sorry,” Derek murmured. “You have to get out of here. If the creature is smart enough to get into the clinic it’s smart enough to find out who’s looking for it and where they live.”

 “I’m not going anywhere.”  
  
Derek ground his teeth in irritation. “ _Stiles…_ ” He warned.  
  
“What? Are you going to kick me out if I don’t leave myself?” Stiles raised his eyebrows in defiance. “I’m not leaving, you’re just going to have to share the glory when we both take down this Jik- uh, jilink- well, you know.”  
  
Based on his scowl, Stiles thought that his roommate was going to throw him out the window. Stiles got up from where he sat by the coffee table and held out a hand to Derek.  
  
“Come on, I’ll make you some tea and tuck you into bed.” He joked with a smirk. Stiles expected an angry rebuff like normal but Derek just stared at him then took his hand. When he stood up from the couch, Stiles could see the dark circles under his eyes.  
  
“I mean it,” He said darkly. “I am sorry. You shouldn’t have been-“

Stiles rolled his eyes and tugged on Derek’s hand, leading him into the kitchen. “Oh my god, just shut up.”

  
  
\- - -

 

The next day started out with a sunny morning to contrast the night before. Stiles took a moment lying in bed, watching the light spill into his room in a thin line from his doorway. He kept his door open per Derek’s request, who wanted to make sure there was an easy way of getting to Stiles if anything happened or something got in.

  
He could hear Derek in the kitchen, dishes were being clanked together and he could hear something sizzling in a pan. As he tried to push away the uneasiness of his feeling about everything that was happening, Stiles shoved himself out of bed and cleaned up in the bathroom before walking into the kitchen.

Derek turned around as if he could feel him walk into the room. “I thought you would be hungry.” He said a little awkwardly. He poured a potato hash out from the pan onto a plate and handed it to Stiles.  
  
“Wow, you can cook too? I’m surprised you don’t have five women falling down at your feet.” Stiles smiled and grabbed a fork from a drawer nearby. He sat down on one of the barstools and began shoveling the hash into his mouth. “So, have you thought about what you’re going to do about your friend?”  
  
Derek grabbed a cup of coffee from the microwave, which was still steaming, and leaned against the counter opposite Stiles. “I told you last night; I have to go look for him.” He answered grimly.  
  
Stiles stopped eating and looked up at him. “I’m still going to tell my dad about it, he may not look it but he’s pretty good at solving stuff and saving people.”  
  
Derek’s cellphone buzzed on the counter, flashing a name across the screen that Stiles couldn’t see. Derek answered it with a slight frown, he then handed it to Stiles. “It’s Scott, he says you’re not answering your phone.”

“Oh crap,” Stiles exclaimed, he just remembered he forgot to plug it in when they got back to the apartment. To be fair he was preoccupied with other thoughts. He grabbed the phone and immediately heard Allison’s whispered voice in the background. “Scott?” He asked.  
  
“Hey, where’s your phone?” Scott asked a little anxiously. Stiles couldn’t remember a time when he didn’t talk to Scott at least once a day, and realized with some regret that he didn’t even text him yesterday.  
  
“Sorry, I was…” He cast a glance up at Derek. “Uh, really tired yesterday and Isaac came over so I didn’t have time to charge my phone.” It wasn’t a good excuse but Stiles knew Derek didn’t want him to tell Scott anything about their detective work.    
  
“Oh, okay.” Scott answered, Allison said something else behind her boyfriend and Scott shushed her. “I just wanted to make sure you weren’t dying in a ditch or something.”  
  
Stiles huffed a laugh and mumbled: “Yeah, not yet.” 

“Well, text me before you meet up with Lydia so I can tell Allison when to get ready.”  
  
Stiles practically shook his head in confusion. “That will be a little hard, Scott, considering she’s in England…”    
  
“Uh, not in-“ There was pause on the other side as Stiles assumed Scott checked his watch. “Three hours when her flight lands. Did you not get her calls either?”  
  
“No, I haven’t even checked my phone today.” Stiles groaned. Lydia coming over while he was solving a mystery about a Japanese cannibalistic creature was definitely not ideal. Not only did he not want to deal with anything about their relationship but Derek needed his help right now. “Why is she flying over?”  
  
“From the text she sent me and Allison it just said she was on break. You really had no idea?”  
  
“No,” Stiles rubbed his temple as an oncoming headache was threating to ruin his morning. “Not a clue.”

 


End file.
